Chapter Nine, Divine Crystal

Qin Xiaotian noticed the issue and exclaimed, "No way? They actually used such an outdated magical artifact? Huh, the material of this thing is quite good... it's actually made of heavy emerald! Oh dear, what a waste." The Crystal Devouring Chain immediately flew out and wrapped around it; such a treasure should not be left unclaimed, what better time could there be?

Chi Ming laughed maniacally and said: "Boss... Big Brother, these people are quite arrogant! Haha, soon there will be even more powerful experts arriving." His strange laughter could scare ordinary people into fainting, it was truly unpleasant

Li Qiang approached and greeted, "Hello"

There were nearly 8,000 to 9,000 people and beasts present, all rendered dumbfounded by the rapid and terrifying slaughter. Suddenly, a piercing howl rang out, and the entire crowd of people and beasts erupted, each one frantically fleeing into the distance. They had never witnessed such a horrifying method, and their spirits were completely shattered

Having grown accustomed to the handsome men and beautiful women of the cultivation world and the celestial realm, everyone was left speechless upon suddenly encountering such figures. Qin Xiaotian stared blankly at the two for a while before finally uttering a single word: "Cool"

The esteemed master Boju expressed his appreciation with a single word: "Good"

Indeed, the Crystal Devouring Chain has an advantage; once it has devoured a particular magical artifact, the speed of devouring will be astonishing when encountering a similar artifact again

The Azure Emperor obtained the divine crystal and was in a good mood. He said, "Just drive those fellows away. If they are willing to retreat, then it will be considered their good fortune..." Implicitly, he meant that if they were unwilling to retreat, he would kill them all.

Chi Mingle was all smiles, vigorously patting Qin Xiaotian on the shoulder, and said with a laugh: "Not bad! You quietly broke the restriction and even obtained the divine crystal, haha!" He was not concerned about the divine crystal; what mattered to him was that his disciple brought him honor.

The esteemed Master Boju stated: "I estimate that this continent holds many mysteries; if one is willing to delve into them, heh, there will surely be rewards."

Now it was Qin Xiaotian's turn to feel frustrated. He dared not argue with Chiming and muttered softly, "I was just smiling, I didn't do anything, really... taking it out on the disciples..."

Chi Ming chuckled and said, "Someone is going to be unlucky, haha, daring to play with fire against the boss? Seeking death!"

The Azure Emperor reached out to take the crystal and casually handed it to the Celestial Maiden, sighing, "It seems to be the legendary divine crystal"

In an instant, there was complete silence all around; all the people and beasts were stunned. Many monsters gaped with their mouths wide open, staring blankly, unable to make a sound

Looking up at the towering emerald green peak, Li Qiang couldn't help but smile and shake his head. This item was crafted very roughly, truly a waste of good materials. No wonder Qin Xiaotian couldn't help but take action.

Qin Xiaotian firmly occupies the vast mountain peak, while the crystal chain is rapidly decomposing and devouring.

Still no one pays attention, still just shouting

The three individuals were conversing calmly and leisurely. The Green Emperor remarked, "This place is quite strange; every person or beast possesses a strong physique and instincts, yet their cultivation is rather poor, and their artifact forging is inadequate. Just look at that thin fellow; the magical tool in his hand is simply laughable."

Li Qiang smiled and said, "It seems we have stirred up a big hornet's nest"

Qin Xiaotian was well aware of the weaknesses of the Crystal Devouring Chain. Fortunately, with his master and others by his side, he could confidently and boldly secure the mountain peak, gradually analyze it, and decompose and devour it bit by bit, unafraid of other attacks

The analysis of Qin Xiaotian's crystal addiction chain has finally been completed, taking approximately two minutes. It was then followed by a rapid decomposition and absorption process, which accelerated significantly, taking only fifteen seconds, as if ice and snow were melting, with the peaks quickly dissolving and disappearing

The purple sky fire erupted violently, splitting into countless tiny sparks. This substance is extremely insidious; a monster measuring 1,000 meters in length will quickly be reduced to ashes if it comes into contact with even a small amount, unless protected by a special treasure.

A large group of monsters and low-level divine beasts gathered in droves, converging at the city gate, with their numbers increasing steadily.

Qin Xiaotian flew behind Chiming and whispered, "Master, grant me protection; I need to digest and absorb this. " Having devoured so many divine techniques and a magical artifact at once, he needed to stabilize his crystal points and crystal appetite chains for a moment

There is still no response to the task, only the sound of heavy breathing.

Human beings in this world belong to a superior race in terms of intelligence. The beast race has lower intelligence, but its numbers are vast. Among them, the high-end beasts are the divine beasts, which possess a decent level of intelligence and hold humans in relatively high regard. The combination of human intelligence and beast strength results in a power that is significantly greater than that of any single race.

Li Qiang secretly smiled bitterly, feeling quite puzzled. The people of Ling City are indeed a bit strange; it seems there is no reasoning with them, and they act solely based on force. Now that the situation has escalated to this point, the other side appears to have no intention of engaging in any dialogue, which is completely different from the Beastmaster tribe of Weibona.

The discerning eye of the Green Emperor remains sharp, having noticed that those individuals were not inactive, but rather quickly arranging themselves behind the beast horde. They are not foolish; they understand that engaging directly in combat would be too disadvantageous, so they opted to set up their formation first. However, they did not anticipate that the restrictions at the entrance and exit would be breached so swiftly, leading to a bit of confusion, resulting in no one stepping forward to respond to Li Qiang's inquiries.

This crystal has been roughly polished to form eighty-one facets, resembling the size of a baby's fist, radiating a soft golden glow, and its energy can be felt from a great distance.

At this moment, due to the sudden disappearance of the barrier, both the people and the beasts within the city became agitated. This barrier could not be broken even if they all gathered together, yet unexpectedly, it was easily dismantled by the enemies outside, without even a hint of disturbance, leaving them all in disarray

Not right, they are forming a formation

Upon hearing this, the esteemed Master Boju exclaimed in surprise, "Although this restriction is crude, it contains considerable power. Can you break it?"

Tian Gu shook her head and said, "From space, one can see how vast this continent is. Even if there are god-level experts, their control over the area is limited. Our purpose is to cultivate, and it would be nice to encounter a true god-level expert for some exchange. If we don't encounter one... it's not a big deal either."

Tian Gu felt a slight shock in her heart; this was a stunning discovery. They had seen divine crystals before, but they were all depleted energy crystals. Therefore, they had never dared to be certain. The existence of divine crystals in this world greatly increased the possibility that this place was a divine realm. With her eyes closed, she carefully contemplated and couldn't help but sigh, "The power is immense and captivating"

The most terrifying is the Green Emperor. With just a single invocation of the Immortal Spirit Technique, countless green spikes erupted from the ground, densely packed like a forest. Anyone and any beast within one hundred meters of the ground were all pierced. In an instant, the sky was stained red by the blood mist that was sprayed into the air

Several individuals were flying towards the entrance and exit at a very slow speed

The Azure Emperor's eyes flickered with a green light, clearly ignited with fury, and he said: "Let’s take action! Since they are oblivious to their own demise, we need not show any mercy. Kill! Annihilate them all!"

The short and stout man was on the verge of tears; this treasure was something he had spent countless efforts to refine, and now he could neither retrieve it nor let it go. It felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat, causing him extreme discomfort. Even more terrifying was that this mountain was continuously draining his magical power, and up to this point, he had yet to discern who was behind the attack against him, leaving him utterly terrified.

A few more Praetorian guards have flown in, and this time they did not launch an attack; they are still waiting. Now they have begun to take these individuals seriously; they are not people who can be easily bullied.

The scene was enveloped in a strange atmosphere. Qin Xiaotian extended the Crystal Devouring Chain, quietly forming a protective circle. Seeing so many people and beasts, he felt an urge to take action, but he knew that it was impossible for him to devour them all at once

Among them, there are more beasts than people. The primary inhabitants of the Spirit City are divine beasts, while humans are a subordinate race, though not a base one

Chi Ming encountered an unexpected setback: "It is utterly baffling..."

Li Qiang is indeed the ancestor of playing with fire, the flames that come to him are merely slightly stronger than ordinary fire, not comparable to the true fire of Samadhi, and even less so to purple fire

What responded to him was an overwhelming fire, with flames descending from the sky. A tall, thin figure held a round sphere in his hand, murmuring to himself. Countless tiny sparks erupted from the sphere, rapidly surging upwards, transforming into numerous flames that cascaded down like a torrent, charging directly towards Li Qiang.

The Green Emperor, the Heavenly Aunt, and the Master of Gathering were chatting together, completely unconcerned about the people pouring out of the city. Their disciples and followers went to negotiate, whether to fight or to scold, all of it was left to Li Qiang and his group to handle

Qin Xiaotian silently organized the crystal points within his body. The substances and energies that were previously stored in the crystal points had all been released. Thanks to the assistance of the Qing Emperor and others during his departure from the Heavenly Evolution, he suffered almost no losses. However, he could no longer obtain endless benefits from the Heavenly Evolution. According to his current cultivation method, he must cultivate his own realm, but he has not yet figured out how to proceed with the cultivation.

Qin Xiaotian's crystal affinity chain was spread throughout the entire restriction, and he had located the ancient formation that emitted the restriction. He had completed his analysis and could smoothly decompose the energy within the restriction, and he discovered that he could manipulate the entire restriction. This formation was very simple; it was merely that the crystals used to set up the formation contained powerful energy, a hundred thousand times stronger than the top-level crystals in the cultivation world.

Qin Xiaotian's crystal affinity chain extended out from his body again, resting on the restrictions at the entrance and exit, analyzing the components of the restrictions. Such a massive restriction possesses terrifying energy; if it can be decomposed and devoured, it would provide a substantial energy supplement

Li Qiang considered himself to be a person with a good temper, yet he was increasingly provoked, and he shouted again: "Bring your master out!" This time, he summoned his divine power, and his voice erupted like thunder, resonating with a tremendous roar. Sound waves spread everywhere, a fierce wind arose, the earth trembled, and the might was astonishing

The pale-faced tall and thin man turned pale. This technique, "Fire Burning the Heavens," was his signature move, and he had won countless battles relying on the fire-igniting orb in his hand. This time, however, he was dumbfounded as the flames in the sky were directly absorbed by his opponent, and even the fire-igniting orb in his hand seemed to pulse faintly, as if it were being drawn away. Frightened, he held on tightly and shouted, "Help me! Help me!"

Several individuals flew into the city, yet the anticipated attack did not materialize. Those people and beasts retreated like a tide. They were not fools; from the results of the previous skirmishes, it was evident that these few individuals were exceptionally formidable. Merely two of them had taken action, annihilating so many Pra Guardian Warriors and repelling the two esteemed guards of the city lord. Despite their numerical superiority, they did not dare to strike first. Merely two of them had taken action, annihilating so many Pra Guardian Warriors and repelling the two esteemed guards of the city lord. Despite their numerical superiority, they did not dare to strike first

The tall and thin figure was even more horrified, for he witnessed Li Qiang actually consume that dazzling sphere of light, smacking his lips as if savoring its flavor. Such a terrifying scene nearly drove him to the brink of collapse, and he thought to himself: "Who is this person? So terrifying! This is the flame conjured by the true fire of the soul, possessing the ability to scorch the soul. How dare he swallow it?"

The short and stout man was originally there to support him and had no intention of intervening. Unexpectedly, just as the conflict began, his companion was already unable to withstand it. He shouted loudly and threw out a peculiar magical artifact. It was a verdant green mountain peak that flew into the air and rapidly enlarged, in the blink of an eye resembling a real mountain peak, crashing down towards Li Qiang.

The short and stout man, with red eyes, raised his hands and cried out in despair: "My Biling Peak! Give it back to me! Who took it? Give it back to me."

The crystal chain quickly ensnared the formation's crystals. This time, Qin Xiaotian did not use the crystal chain to devour them, but instead collected them directly. A total of 729 fist-sized crystals were taken away at the same time, causing the entire restriction to suddenly lose the support of the crystal energy and collapse with a loud noise. Qin Xiaotian curiously held a crystal and said, "Master, this crystal is different from ours"

Smoke and dust rise in the distance, and a dark shadow appears on the horizon. The rumbling sound can be faintly heard, and even with the barriers in place, it can still be distinctly felt

Qin Xiaotian nodded vigorously and said: "Yes, within ten minutes!"

The short and stout man ground his teeth and stamped his feet, his round face puffed up, his cheeks flushed bright red, and his squinting little eyes bulged wide open, resembling a pair of monkey eyes. No matter how much magical power he exerted, that emerald green mountain remained utterly unmoved, driving him nearly to the brink of madness

Qin Xiaotian suddenly said: "Don't rush, give me ten minutes, let me break this restriction." His tone was very confident, as if he was quite sure of himself

Li Qiang smiled and said, "Hey! Shall we talk about it?"

The crystal devouring chain rapidly decomposes and devours; however, a magical treasure is fundamentally different from ordinary matter and cannot be decomposed and devoured all at once. If it were to devour a mountain peak, under full activation of the crystal devouring chain, it would only take a few dozen seconds. However, a mountain peak of magical treasure nature would require a bit more time.

The short and stout man, with a fierce expression, shouted angrily: "I will smash you to death!"

Qin Xiaotian quickly completed the initial organization. This is merely a preliminary arrangement, akin to archiving various items, clearing away unnecessary clutter, and identifying useful things, which will require a significant amount of time.

The tall and thin figure grew increasingly restless. He ceased to propel the fireball, and in just a moment, a small portion of the true soul fire within the fireball dimmed significantly. This was a fragment of true soul fire that he had painstakingly obtained in the volcanic world, and to his dismay, over half of it had been consumed. He cried out in anguish, "This is infuriating!"

Li Qiang said, "I am becoming increasingly interested in Ling City, hehe. Since the restrictions have been lifted, let us enter the city."

Li Qiang simply waved his hand, and the flames in the sky seemed to be drawn by a massive suction vent, directly falling into the palm of his hand, quickly compressed into a fireball the size of a basketball. As the intake of flames increased, the color of the fireball began to turn white, emitting a dazzling light

Listening to the conversation between the two, Qin Xiaotian couldn't help but chuckle. Chi Ming raised his hand and slapped him, scolding, "Little brat, what are you laughing at?"

Li Qiang exclaimed, "Oh? What kind of crystal is this?" The Qing Emperor and a few others also curiously gathered around.

Tens of thousands of monsters, along with several hundred people, could be described as overwhelming, especially since the monsters here are of enormous size, which adds to their imposing presence. Ironically, despite having numerous advantages, not a single one dared to engage in combat; instead, they surrounded the Qing Emperor and others, with some even flying high above to monitor the situation.

Li Qiang unleashed a series of incantations, gradually manifesting one hundred and eight purple flames in the form of flowers. As he expelled a breath of divine energy, the one hundred and eight purple flowers shot forth, tracing brilliant purple afterimages in the air as they descended into the midst of the beast horde

Although Master Boju had obtained information about the evolution and some cultivation experiences from Qin Xiaotian, he was still unclear about the cultivation method of the Crystal Addiction Chain and unaware of its wonders. He felt a bit skeptical, yet his expression remained unchanged as he nodded and said: "Alright, I will wait for you for ten minutes"

Li Qiang said, "Finally, two people who can speak have arrived"

Chi Ming squinted and said, "If we lose, they will definitely not let us go, hehe! However, that is impossible..."

Li Qiang looked at the flame orb in his palm with a smile, the orb having been compressed to the size of an egg. Instead of being angry at the tall and thin person's attack, he felt a sense of familiarity, as it had been a long time since he had encountered an opponent who played with fire

When divine beasts are powerful, humans are merely a subordinate race. Similarly, when humans are strong, divine beasts may also become a subordinate race. The roles of both can be interchangeable, much like the relationship between beast tamers and monsters, where the tamed monsters are considered subordinate races

Thus, that enormous peak hovers in the air, unable to descend no matter what, entangled in crystalline chains; not to mention descending, even the short and stout individual cannot retrieve it.

Chi Ming could no longer contain himself and shouted, "Damn it! If you want to fight, come on! If not... then call your master out! Are you just going to stand around in silence, staring blankly, and watching the show?"

The Green Emperor and the Heavenly Maiden did not speak, yet their eyes were filled with joy.

This is actually a weakness of the Crystal Devouring Chain. For every new artifact it encounters, the Crystal Devouring Chain must perform the same process: decompose it before it can devour it. All of this takes time, and the higher the grade of the artifact, the longer the required time. If it is a divine artifact, it may take decades, and in battle, time is the most precious resource

The tall and thin figure had a pale complexion, with the corners of his mouth drawn into a sinister arc, giving him a terrifying appearance. Suddenly, he grabbed the short and stout man and retreated rapidly, as the barrier at the gap rose again. The tall and thin man emitted a distress signal, yet during this time, he refused to say a word to Li Qiang.

Among this group of monsters, there are quite a few low-level divine beasts, as well as over a thousand Pra God Guards. They each emit intimidating roars, creating a cacophony that is quite distressing to hear. Chiming cursed under his breath, impatiently scanning the surroundings, appearing ready to engage in a fierce battle

These two individuals are of different heights and builds, one tall and thin, the other short and stout. The tall, thin person has a long face resembling that of a horse, and his lanky frame reaches a height of two meters. The short, stout individual resembles a lump of meat; to be precise, he looks like two lumps of meat, with his round head and plump body appearing as if they are two balls strung together, the smaller ball being the head and the larger ball being the body, creating a very comical appearance

Chi Ming chuckled and said, "Dare to make fun of your master? Hehe!" He ruffled Qin Xiaotian's hair, leaving Qin Xiaotian with no temper at all

The Green Emperor said: "Li Qiang, do not worry. The more battles we engage in, the more individuals will rise in status. Hehe, once those with decision-making power emerge, we can have a proper discussion"

After the light faded, the figures of two individuals became visible

Chi Ming has also lived on Earth, yet he does not find wasp nests frightening, saying: "Stirring a wasp nest? What's the big deal?"

The esteemed monk glanced briefly and said, "Good stuff"

Those are two humans, although they are not attractive, it is certain that they are human. If they were divine beasts transformed into human form, they would retain some characteristics of the divine beasts, but these two individuals do not possess any such traits

The two individuals were clad in very inferior armor, which appeared to have undergone preliminary forging, with a bizarre and simplistic design. The material, however, was quite decent. The tall and thin one had a sallow complexion, resembling someone suffering from malnutrition, with two tufts of sideburns hanging at the corners of his mouth, giving him a distinctive appearance. In contrast, the short and stout one looked as if he were suffering from over-nutrition, his eyes squeezed into two narrow slits by the fat on his face.

In this world, it seems that there is no rationale for tasks, this is the conclusion drawn by Qin Xiaotian. He was the first to take action upon hearing the command of the ancestral master. The Crystal Devouring Chain had long been prepared and immediately wrapped around, fully activating its devouring function. In the blink of an eye, over a hundred monsters close to the inner circle vanished without a trace.

This time, the Green Emperor does not intend to let Qin Xiaotian take action, as this child is too ruthless; he kills without leaving a trace of the body, more terrifying than the great demon of the Dark Demon Realm. Instead, he has decided to let his disciple Li Qiang take action.

Tian Gu, Bo Ju Shang Ren, and Chi Ming did not take action; it was only Qing Di, Li Qiang, and Qin Xiao Tian who acted, and they eliminated over a thousand monsters.

Li Qiang suddenly flew up a short distance and shouted, "Tell your master to come and speak!"

With Qin Xiaotian's intentional preservation, there is a vast amount of substance and energy hidden within the crystal points in his body. If he has enough time to recover, it is possible for him to construct a realm on his own, although he will also need to absorb a significant amount of external material. In fact, this enormous world is his greatest treasure.

Li Qiang calculated and said, "There are more than 1,700." Against experts of their caliber, even an abundance of divine beasts would be of no use. With Li Qiang's strength, there is no need to use divine artifacts; a single fire could incinerate them completely. Even the weakest among them, Qin Xiaotian, could annihilate all opponents with a crystal chain.

The role of the divine crystal in Qin Xiaotian's hands is limited, but it is different in the hands of Li Qiang, the Azure Emperor, and others. Their knowledge and artifact refining techniques are at the grandmaster level, allowing them to fully utilize the potential of the divine crystal

An increasing number of Spirit City guards have arrived, yet there is not a single truly formidable expert among them. Spirit City boasts over one million guards, and nearly ten thousand people and beasts have come to this place, which accounts for one percent of the guards. This is also a rare occurrence in the history of Spirit City

Li Qiang, having perceived the unique soul characteristics of the flame within the light cluster, did not hesitate to swallow it whole. He slowly refined it with purple fire to uncover its mysteries. With his cultivation level, this fire posed no threat to him

Qin Xiaotian said with a grin: "One hundred for each person! Hehe, I just made a small fortune, and I brought all the divine crystals that constitute the restrictions." As he spoke, he handed each person one hundred divine crystals.

The master Boju said lightly, "Foolish fellow." He seemed a bit impatient and added, "Don't wait any longer, just break the barrier directly, and let's enter the city."

Li Qiang calmed his troubled feelings and said as gently as possible: "Have your master come over, do not make us repeat it for the fourth time"

Li Qiang was too lazy to explain the reason to him and replied lightly: "It's nothing."